Until 1790 the Ancien Régime (Old Regime) of the Kingdom of France was divided

into 39 provinces and 34 Généralités (generalities). Originally military divisions,

the provinces became largely symbolic after the seventeenth century reforms instituded

by Cardinal Richelieu (1585-1642), to strengthen royal power. From this point, the position

of governor became ceremonial and often dynastic. Real administrative power was passed to

the Intendants or 'Stewards' of the Généralités who directly represented the Monarch. The Généralités did not evenly correspond geographically to the provinces and were not a sub-territorial division of them.

In addition, provinces such as Brittany, Provence and Navarre and other smaller

feudal domains were considered separate from the French central government and were part of

the domaine royal (French royal realm). These lands retained their own laws and privileges with the French Monarch as their nominal duke, prince or count. These and other provinces such as Burgundy, Lorraine, Dauphiné, Normandy, Paris and Provence had their own separate parliaments (courts), laws, constitutions and taxation systems.

The administative system was declared irrational during the revolution and all the former provinces, divisions and feudal domains, along with their privileges and local systems were abolished in 1790 to be replaced by a uniform and centralised administrative model of départements. This model deliberately broke up the historic provinces to create a more homogenous country and strengthen central authority. A system that remained in place until the creation of the self governing regions in the 1970s.

Alsace

24 Oct 1648 Upper Alsace annexed from Holy Roman Empire

05 Feb 1679 Lower Alsace annexed from Holy Roman Empire

30 Sep 1681 Strassburg annexed

Landgrafen von Ober Elsass und Under Elsass*

24 Oct 1648 - 14 Oct 1789 The Kings of France

Governors

20 Apr 1649 - Dec 1659 Henri de Lorraine, comte

d'Armagnac et d'Harcourt .................. 1601-1666

Dec 1659 - 09 Mar 1661 Cardinal Jules Mazarin,

duc de Nevers ............................. 16..-1661

09 Mar 1661 - 09 Feb 1713 Armand Charles de La Porte,

duc de la Meilleraye, duc de Rethel ....... 1632-1713

14 Feb 1713 - 10 Apr 1730 Nicolas Du Blé, Marquis

de Huxelles ............................... 1652-1730

11 Apr 1730 - 15 Jan 1739 Léonor Marie Du Maine,

comte Du Bourg ............................ 1655-1739

26 Jan 1739 - 18 Dec 1759 François de Franquetot,

duc de Coigny ............................. 1670-1759

19 Dec 1759 - 07 Feb 1762 Jean Baptiste Demaretz,

marquis de Maillebois ..................... 1682-1762

01 Mar 1762 - 17 Sep 1788 Emmanuel Armand de Vignerot,

duc d'Aiguillon ........................... 1720-1788

16 Nov 1788 - 30 May 1789 Jacques Philippe de Choiseul,

duc de Choiseul-Stainville ................ 1727-1789

Note: Alsace requested the sovereign use the style Landgrave of Upper and Lower